I know it's been awhile, but like I've promised in the past, I promise to not give up until this one is finished. It might take me a long time, but I'm slowly working toward completing it.

Light hits Christian's face, causing him to wake. He startles a little and blinks a few times, trying to adjust.

"Oh, sorry, beau." Anastasia quickly turns off the bathroom light, allowing Christian to see better in the dim light coming from the floor-to-ceiling windows caused by the cloudy day. His eyes drag up and down her naked body, taking in her beautiful, pregnant form.

"Waking up to your naked body is a perfect way to start the day." He gives her a boyish grin, his hair a mess from sleeping, and she can't help but giggle at how cute he is in the morning.

"It's still too early, baby. Come back to bed." He pulls the duvet and sheet down enough for her to slip back in. It's only 6:00 am, which means they have an hour before they have to get up. It gives him one more hour to doze while wrapped around her.

She doesn't have to be told twice. If it wasn't for the baby pressing on her bladder, she would have never gotten up. She climbs in bed and turns away from him, scooting over until her back comes in contact with his front.

Nuzzling into her neck, he breathes deep. "Waking up to you is by far one of my favorite parts of the day."

A smile forms on her face as she closes her eyes. "And what is your other favorite part?"

"Falling asleep with you after rolling around naked together."

His comment makes her laugh. "I like all that too."

"Just like?"

She rolls her eyes. "Okay, fine. Love. I love the closeness. I didn't think it was possible for us to be any closer than we were… but, we've managed, and I don't want it to stop. I want you to ravish me and hold me and be affectionate and...God. I sound so pathetic, don't I?"

Christian chuckles. "I happen to like pathetic. It means you need me."

Anastasia snorts and rolls her eyes.

"I'm just kidding, love. It isn't pathetic to crave affection. I do the same with you. You're the only person in the world that can touch me and I feel like it's more than just a craving. It's become a necessity for me. Your touch calms me… it's therapeutic."

She rolls toward him and takes his face in her hands, giving him a long, soft kiss. "I love you, Christian. So much." Her hands wander down, her palms running over his chest and abdomen. His muscles relax under her palms and he lets out a contented sigh.

"I love you, too. Please… move in with me. We both love this, so why are you fighting it?"

"Christian…" She frowns. He's never going to give up. "Let's not talk about that right now. Let's just enjoy laying here for awhile."

Although he wants to urge her to say yes, he knows bugging her will just make her more stubborn. He has to come at her in a gentle manner...but that doesn't mean he won't keep bringing it up until she says yes. He'll just have to nag her gently. If there is such a thing.

XxXxXx

Christian's sitting at his desk, deep in an airline proposal. For some reason, the thought of owning an airline never crossed his mind until now. If done right, owning an airline could create so many jobs and make so much revenue. There is a lot that goes into aviation, but he's sure he can find the right people to deal with the FAA and legal aspects of it all. Since Ros is still a little sour about the shipyard going south, this might make up for the lost revenue for shipping. There is plenty of opportunity to ship goods via the skies instead of the water. He just has to decide how in depth this airline is going to be.

Commercial? Freight? Corporate? Private? There are so many directions Grey Airlines can go in, but he knows that they need to start in a specific category to work out the kinks and grow from there.

There's a knock on the door and by the order of the knocks, he knows it's Taylor.

Checking the door, Taylor finds it unlocked and makes his way in.

"Christian?"

"What's up, Taylor?"

Taylor doesn't bother to have a seat, which makes Christian's heart drop into his chest. He asked Taylor for an update on Detroit and Taylor remaining standing means he doesn't have much information.

"The Sheriff in Detroit finally got back to me today. Turns out he was dragging his feet with returning my phone call in hopes to dig something up on Jack. So far, they haven't found anything illegal pertaining to the funds that have gone missing. Turns out he also owns an apartment complex about ten minutes from the shipyard. It's rundown and filthy, so he's a slumlord. The police are looking to see if they can trace his funds for the apartment complex. They're hoping to go door-to-door and get some of the tenants to talk."

Christian grinds his teeth at the news. He wonders if it's the same apartment complex that he and his mother lived in...If it is, the filthy pimp had complete control of his mother… more control than he ever realized. He owned her apartment, got her addicted and became her drug dealer, and forced her to sell her body to make money for her rent and drug habit. The only way she could escape, was to escape the world. No wonder she's dead. If it really was on purpose… she really hated the world much more than she loved him. It took years of therapy before he could really comprehend just how much an addiction can control someone's life. Although his therapist has repeatedly said not to take it personal, Christian can't help, but to take it personally. His mother loved her addiction more than she loved her son...more than she loved herself. Christian wasn't enough for her to get clean, to keep him safe, or even herself. He's spent so much time and money working through these feelings and now, he realizes that all he's done is suppress them. Going back to Detroit has brought up all of these memories, these emotions… these issues.

His issues.

There are so many.

"You alright, sir?"

He presses his palms into his eye sockets until he sees stars, hoping to get his shit together. It's Monday. He has too much shit to deal with to have a pity party right now. He's got to get through another half-day of work and then he has to escort Anastasia to Laurie's for her get-together with work friends. There is no way he's going to let her go without him. He'd never forgive himself if something happened to her because he wanted to go home and pout into his pillow.

"I'm fine. Just feel the beginning of a migraine coming on." He knows that the fucker is doing something illegal. He's got to be hiding money. If he is still pimping women out of the apartment complex, the police will find out soon enough. The filthy son-of-a-bitch deserves to be locked up for the rest of his life. He's lived happy and free too damn long than any sadistic bastard deserves to.

"Should I get you something that will help ease it?" Taylor gives Christian a worried glance. He's worried about his employer… his friend.

Rubbing his temples, Christian squeezes his eyes shut. "Will you tell Andrea to grab me a couple Ibuprofen and a very large coffee?" Hopefully, caffeine will give him the boost he needs to keep going.

"Absolutely."

XxXxXxX

Anastasia stops by Christian's office for lunch and waves at Andrea on her way. As she opens his door, she finds him with his head on his desk, in a small puddle of drool.

How odd.

Worried that something is wrong, she immediately makes her way over to him, gently shaking his shoulder.

"Christian? Christian, are you alright?"

"Hmm?" He answers in his sleep, but doesn't bother to open his eyes.

"Baby, you're scaring me." She strokes his stubbled cheek with her thumb, hoping to rouse him.

Finally, Christian realizes where he is and he jerks up quickly, making Anastasia jump.

"Ana?" He looks up at her and back down at his desk where he finds the puddle of drool. "Shit." Reaching into his coat pocket quickly, he wipes at his mouth and then cleans his desk. "I must have drifted off."

"Why?" Her eyebrows knit together as she looks him over. He never drifts off at work.

"I had a migraine and wanted to rest my eyes for a few minutes. I guess a few minutes turned into sixty."

"Oh. Do you still have one?" Anastasia checks his forehead, checking for a fever. It's been years since he's complained of a migraine.

"No, it's better." Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he stretches and stands. "Let's get some lunch. I'll be good as new after some sustenance."

They head to the diner across the street and have a seat in the cozy corner, giving them a little privacy from all the other business men and and women lunching.

He pulls Anastasia's chair out for her and as he scoots it in, she keeps an eye on him. She is beginning to wonder if everything happening is putting too much pressure on her best friend. She has never caught him sleeping on the job. He's nothing, but business when he's working.

She continues to eye him as he unbuttons the button on his coat and has a seat across from her.

"Christian… are you sure you're alright? Maybe you should just go home after work and rest. I can go to Laurie's by myself. Sawyer will be there."

Christian gives her a hard look. "Absolutely not. I'm coming. I'm fine. Like I said, I just had a bit of a headache. I'm better now. After I eat, I'll be perfect."

Although she still feels as if he's lying to her, she doesn't press him on it. She doesn't want to add to the stress he's under at the moment. She knows he's worried sick over Jack running around and his abuser possibly getting away with money laundering and abuse.

XxXxXx

There's a knock on Anastasia's door frame, making her look away from her computer. She blinks a few times, realizing she's been staring at the screen too long, and sees Jose standing there, dimples shining on each cheek.

"You're not going to flake on us again, are you, Ana?" He teases lightly. This causes Anastasia to grin.

She enjoys his playfulness. His light personality makes him easy to get along with and makes her feel included within the workgroup. She knows that many are nervous around her, but he's never been intimidated by her. It's refreshing. She's hoping that he'll be the bridge that will give her the connection to the others that she so badly desires. It's important to her that the coworkers have a cohesiveness at the office.

"No," she shakes her head, "not this time."

His grin widens. "Great. Are you ready?"

"Um…" Looking at the clock she sees that there's still ten minutes until five. Christian is supposed to meet her here before heading across the street. "Sure." She decides to shoot Christian a quick text to let him know she'll meet him at Laurie's and grabs her handbag.

On their way through the building and towards the doors, Jose calls out to the others and the group grows from two to eight quickly, with Sawyer trailing closely behind.

It's relatively easy for the group to find a table and Anastasia realizes quickly why Jose left a few minutes early. As soon as five o'clock hits, people begin to swarm and the place quickly fills.

"I hope no one minds that I invited Christian. He's been pretty protective since I've gotten pregnant." Anastasia wishes she would have run it by her peers before telling Christian he could come.

Hannah grins. "No one is going to complain that he's tagging along."

"That's a definite." Daysha, the HR receptionist winks at Anastasia. "Your best friend is one hot tamale."

Anastasia laughs along with the girls and her cheeks pink a little. She doesn't know why, but their compliments toward her best friend embarrasses her a bit. It also makes her realize that these girls have no idea that they're dating and that the baby is his. They're in for a surprise.

"Speak of the devil…" Jose nods his head toward the door and in walks Christian, looking a little huffy.

As soon as Christian's eyes lock with Anastasia's, one eyebrow rises. It's obvious that he isn't happy about her early exit from work.

"Hello, Anastasia. Hello, everyone." He states cordially, but she can hear the coldness in his tone. Pulling out his chair and having a seat next to her, he throws an arm over the back of her chair and whispers in her ear, "Why didn't you wait for me?"

She gives him an innocent smile. "I didn't want to be stuck at work alone. Safety in numbers, beau." She batts her eyes at him playfully, trying to lighten the mood. It works.

The right side of Christian's mouth twitches upward. "Fine." Reaching over, he rubs her stomach. "How's baby Grey doing?" He asks, purposely using his last name for the baby. He refuses to let go without a fight. The baby will have his last name.

"Baby Grey?" Hannah asks, overhearing.

Christian gives Hannah a megawatt smile. "Yes. Did Ms. Steele fail to mention that I'm the father?"

Hannah blushes as she makes eye contact with the Adonis. "Ana keeps her private life private. She hasn't mentioned who the father is, yet."

He lets out a light chuckle and pecks Anastasia's lips lightly. "Well, now you know."

"She's also failed to mention that she has a boyfriend." Daysha comments, wiggling her eyebrows.

Anastasia laughs. "I hadn't realized that I needed to send a mass email every time something happens in my personal life."

"This is why you need social media, Ana. So we can stalk you formally."

"No, thank you." Anastasia has a Facebook account, but she can't remember the last time she posted something, or even signed in. "I'm not that elated with the thought of nosy people knowing what I'm doing or thinking every second of the day."

"It isn't safe." Christian cuts in. "She's my girlfriend and she's carrying my child. That puts a large target on her back. Privacy is key."

"Along with a half dozen men in suits?" Jose asks, giving him a mischievous smile. He's trying to tease Christian, but it makes Anastasia wince. Christian doesn't do well when being teased about safety and protection.

Christian's eyebrow raises and he gives Jose a cold stare. "The CPO's are a must, Mr. Rodriguez. Their presence is no laughing matter."

Jose clears his throat and breaks eye contact with Christian. "Oh, um, okay then. Does everyone know what they want?" He asks, picking up his own menu.

Although the tension between Jose and Christian feels thick, the girls are able to steer the men away from their awkward encounter and the air around them seems to relax considerably, although Hannah remains an anxious mess on the other side of the table, squeaking nervously every time Christian looks her way.

Anastasia quickly realizes that Christian is doing this on purpose, no doubt amused by the girl's reaction. She smacks his hand lightly.

"Stop it. She's a quivering mess." She whispers into his ear.

"But it's fun." He grins at Anastasia and wiggles his eyebrows.

"You're not going to think it's fun when she spills her drink and it lands on that suit of yours." She sighs. "I think I'm going to use the restroom before our food arrives."

Anastasia stands, causing Christian to stand alongside her. "Would you like me to come with you?" He looks worried.

She gives him a polite smile. "No, Christian. I'm quite capable of going by myself. I'm sure the CPO's will guard the door." She teases lightly, but knows it's the truth. At least one CPO will be stationed outside of the bathroom until she returns.

"I'll refill your water while you're gone." Christian is constantly worried about her fluid intake. She tries to humor him, but it just means more trips to the bathroom for her.

"Thank you, beau." Anastasia pecks him on the lips and heads towards the back of the restaurant, where the bathrooms are located, with Sawyer on her trail.

Sawyer pushes the door open for her and takes a quick peek into the bathroom, causing Anastasia to hiss at him.

"Shame on you! This is the women's washroom! I'll be fine." She admonishes lightly, tapping him on his hand to get him to let loose of the door.

The door closes with a soft tap behind her and she sees that there are four stalls, the last stall reserved for handicapped, closed. The other three are empty and she quickly enters the first one after visually inspecting the toilet seat for debris. Her mother had always taught her never to go into the second stall, because statistics show that most people tend to gravitate toward the second one, worried that the first is overused. Selecting the third stall isn't an option either, because it isn't socially acceptable to take a stall next to one that's occupied if there are others available.

She's relieved to see that the first stall is clean and dry, so she hurries to lock the door and dances a little while she tries to unbutton her pants. She knows that when the urge to go hits, that she has limited time before the dam bursts. Unfortunately, her damn pants are forcing her to play a dangerous game with her pelvic muscles, and she begins to wonder if she'll end up having to do the walk of shame past her coworkers in wet pants.

"Damn it!" She hisses, dancing a little more.

She hears a small gasp come from the opposite end of the bathroom, where the last stall is occupied.

"Sorry." Her face colors in embarrassment, worried she might have offended an elderly lady with her foul mouth.

There is no response from the other end, just some shuffling. Well, how rude.

Anastasia decides to mind her own business and ignore the person at the end, relieved to finally get her pants unbuttoned and down her legs.

She sits and as her muscles relax, she sighs. Relief. She mentally chastises herself for not being more vigilant with her Kegel exercises.

When she finally finishes and flushes, she hears the door to the last stall creek open. Was there a flush?

Confused, Anastasia opens her door and is met by the other occupant. The occupant is smiling, cold blue eyes twinkling with humor, but the person isn't elderly, nor even a lady.

Before she can open her mouth to scream, Jack Hyde covers her mouth and grabs her around the waist, twirling them around and shoves her against the wall, using his body to hold her there. Her breath leaves her as his body knocks into hers and she whimpers, trying to push him away from her, worried about her stomach.

He's pressing too hard against her abdomen.

She'll kill him herself if anything happens to the beautiful baby growing inside of her. Christian won't even have a chance to get his hands around the bastard's neck. His body would be cold and rigid before Christian even tries.

"Oh, am I smothering you? So sorry." Jack's not sorry; his voice is dripping with cold sarcasm. Still, he relieves the pressure against her swollen stomach, giving her a little relief. His hand does not move from her mouth.

"Stop fighting. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm here for a chat." His voice is just above a whisper.

Her eyebrows knit together. She's confused. A chat? What the hell does that mean?

Against her better judgement, her arms rest at her sides, deciding to hear what he has to say. If he begins to trust she won't scream, he'll let her mouth go and if he tries anything, she'll be able to scream. She has to get him to believe she's cool, calm, and collected.

"You going to play nice?" Jack asks, looking her over for any signs of distrust.

Anastasia nods her head.

"You aren't going to scream?"

She shakes her head.

Jack pulls out a small pocket knife, making her whimper against his hand. "Don't worry. I'm not going to use it, unless you change your mind and decide to become vocal. If I let go of your mouth and you yell, I'm going to drive this knife right into your gut, do you understand? I will make sure to kill that disgusting little fetus inside of your body."

Her body shivers at his words.

"I'm going to let go of your mouth so we can chat quickly before those assholes in coats come looking for you. Don't do anything stupid."

She nods her head, agreeing.

Jack lets go of Anastasia's mouth and she lets in a lungful of fresh air through her mouth, trying to calm her nerves. She can do this. She can humor him for a few minutes.

"Good girl. Now, I'm going to make this quick. I need you to get my one-hundred grand in cash by Saturday morning."

She scoffs. "Why would I do that?"

"Because if your don't, they'll break my neck… but I fucking promise you I'll break yours first."

They? Who the fuck is they? "I don't have that kind of money, Jack. You've come to the wrong person."

Jack spits next to her foot. A warning. Next time, she's sure it'll be her face. "I'm not fucking stupid. You've got Grey wrapped around your finger. Get the money from him."

"So, you want me to tell him…"

"NO. No one… and I mean NO ONE can know about this chat. You can't warn him, you can't warn your suited baboons. If you alert anyone, I'll know. Grey might be able to spare your life, but I promise that devastation you experience afterward will be catastrophic. It'd be such a misfortune if their Grammy and Grampy couldn't be around to watch them grow up."

Anastasia gasps. "You wouldn't!"

Jack's lips curl up into a perverse grin, making her stomach sour immediately. "Oh, but darling, I would. It only takes one phone call, one button, and both of your parents wouldn't have one shred of light left in their eyes."

"But...but he's going to ask questions if I ask for that kind of money." Her voice is quivering and her arms are shaking. She so wishes that she can look more composed in front of the man, but in reality, she's unnerved. She hates that Jack intimidates her so much, but now that she knows he's killed a woman, he's on a different level. She knows that there isn't a chance that he could be crying wolf. He'd kill everyone she loves without blinking an eye. His cold, blue eyes are void of deceit. He's being completely truthful and that sickening grin on his face is practically begging her to try to prove him wrong.

"I'm sure you'll think of something. You're a smart woman."

The compliment means nothing to her. If she was intelligent, she would have known better than to rile him up during their first meeting. The hate in his eyes was so evident, yet, she couldn't stop herself. Back then, she was completely ignorant to his sadism. If she made it through this...if her family made it through this… she would never make that mistake again. She needs to examine the way she interacts with strangers...especially at work. Christian said he'd protect her through anything...but this. This, he can't protect her. If she would go to him with this, there wouldn't be time to save her parents.

There's a knock on the door, pulling Anastasia from her thoughts.

"Everything alright in there, Ana?" Sawyer's deep voice comes through the door. She winces, wishing she wouldn't have admonished him for opening the door earlier. She knows it's the reason why he isn't opening it now.

Jack gives her a hard look, placing a finger to his lips to remind her to keep quiet about the situation.

She nods. "Yes…" The answer comes out strangled and she clears her throat. "Yes, Sawyer. I'm just washing my hands, now." Jack quickly steps away from her so she can turn the water on, making her story more realistic.

"Good girl." He whispers into her ear. "Remember… not a word." He backs up to the last stall and disappears into it, hiding himself from any glimpse that Sawyer might get of him.

Even though Anastasia knows that Jack's still in the same room as her, she can't help, but feel a little relief when he disappears from sight. Her shoulders finally relax and she takes a few deep breaths before carrying herself to the exit. Her legs feel like jelly and she silently begs herself to be strong and hide it the best she can. Her parent's lives depend on it.

As soon as she sees Sawyer's handsome face, she wants to fling herself into his arms and sob into his pressed jacket, telling him who's hiding in the handicapped stall just a few feet away. She knows she can't, but Sawyer notices immediately that something is wrong.

"Are you alright?"

After a beat, she nods. "Yes, I just...I had a little bit of morning sickness and still a bit woozy from it."

Sawyer eyes her for a second, forcing her to give a reassuring smile. Please don't make this any worse.

He seems satisfied for the moment with her excuse and he escorts her back to the table, where their food is sitting in front of them.

Just concentrate on your food, Ana. You can do this. You'll be home soon.

Christian gives her a soft smile and stands to help push her seat in for her.

"Thank you." Her voice is still shaky and it causes Christian to stop in his tracks.

"Ana? What's wrong."

She shakes her head, trying to dismiss his worry. "I'm okay. I just had a woozy stomach in the ladies room. Still trying to shake it off."

He takes a seat next to her and places a hand on her knee before he digs into his meal. "I'm sorry you're having such a hard time with morning sickness."

His apology makes her laugh. It's cathartic. It feels good after such a heavy few minutes. "It isn't your fault."

He gives a little pout as he brings his fork up to his lips. "It's my baby."

"It's mine, too. You heard the doctor. She said that it's healthy to be a little sick. It means that the baby has a good amount of hormones. That's a good thing."

Christian gives a small nod and wipes his mouth on his napkin. "I suppose you're right."

"Always." She reminds him, elbowing him lightly in the side.

Picking up her fork, her stomach churns. There's no way she'll be able to eat this. She'll have to run to the washroom to throw it back up and there is absolutely no way she's going back to that room. She isn't going to chance that he hasn't disappeared, yet. She doesn't want to be stuck with such a sadistic man again.

Instead, she pushes her food around with her fork.

Christian keeps an eye on her plate and sees that she isn't eating.

"Ana?"

She sighs. There's no way she can do this. "Christian, I'm really not feeling good. Do you think we can pack this up and go? I just want to go home."

He straightens, looking for the waiter immediately. The rawness of Anastasia's voice worries him. "Of course, baby. We'll go."

Anastasia apologizes to her coworkers, blaming her morning sickness for their early departure. None seem to mind, stating that they understand. She's relieved. She wants to have a healthy work relationship with her coworkers. She knows she can't be a hermit anymore.

XxXxXx

"To Ms. Steele's, Sawyer." Christian states, once they're in the car.

"No!" Anastasia finds herself yelling a little too loud at his order. It makes Sawyer startle. "Let's go to your apartment." She'll feel safer there. She needs to feel safe tonight if she's going to try to get a wink of sleep. Still, she isn't sure she will.

"Sawyer, you heard her." Christian turns toward her in the car. "What's going on with you? You're acting so odd."

"I…" What the hell is she going to say? "I just don't feel good and your bed always makes me feel better." That isn't a lie. She loves being surrounded by the smell of her best friend when she's down.

A small smile forms on Christian's face. He loves that he can affect her that much, that she needs him and depends on him even though sometimes she doesn't want to. "Just move in then, baby."

"Not the time, Grey." She rests her head against his shoulder and takes his hand. "Just hold me and keep your mouth shut."

"Damn. Savage woman." He chuckles at her bluntness and slips an arm around her, pressing his lips to the top of her head.